The Sunday List: The 10 best football players in Northern Nevada's history

Every Sunday, RGJ columnist Chris Murray will count down a top-10 list (and post it on the blog Friday). This week’s list counts down the 10 best local football players in Northern Nevada history (because Chris Carr, who belongs on the list, retired this week). To be eligible, the athlete must have played high school ball in Northern Nevada.

1. Dave Wyman (Wooster): A prep standout in basketball, shot put and sprints, football was Wyman’s best sport. A star at Stanford, Wyman had 458 tackles as a Cardinal and was a three-time all-league honoree. After being a second-round NFL pick in 1987, he started 83 games and posted 540 tackles and 5.5 sacks. He had three years with 100-plus tackles. No local had as productive an NFL career as Wyman.

Dave Wyman was a standout at Stanford before embarking on a nine-year NFL career. (RGJ file)

2. Harvey Dahl (Fallon): An all-state high school offensive lineman, Dahl started as a true freshman at Nevada and was twice named first-team All-WAC. He went undrafted but has played eight years in the NFL with 82 career starts at guard (one short of Wyman for most career NFL starts by a local).

3. Chris Carr (McQueen): Perhaps the best high school player in local history (he rushed for 1,926 yards and 37 touchdowns while playing stellar defense as a safety), the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Carr went on to a standout career at Boise State before logging nine seasons with six teams as a returner/cornerback.

4. Eric Sanders (Wooster): Sanders is one of the best offensive linemen in Wolf Pack history and was a second-team All-American in 1980. He played 12 years in the NFL (the most among any local player) and appeared in 158 games, with 42 starts. The Nevada Hall of Famer was a long snapper and guard.

5. JoJo Townsell (Hug): One of the few local skill-position players to reach the NFL, Townsell caught 70 passes for 1,119 yards and five touchdowns during a six-year NFL career and was a standout returner. He was the Jets’ player of the year in 1989. At UCLA, he caught 100 passes for 1,773 yards and 20 scores.

6. Kyle Van Noy (McQueen): We’re projecting somewhat on Van Noy, but it’s easy to see his talent. He was a stud at McQueen and compiled 62 tackles for loss, 26 sacks, seven interceptions and 11 forced fumbles at BYU, where he was an All-American. He’s projected as a second-round pick in May’s draft.

BYU's Kyle Van Noy, a McQueen alum, dives to tackle a Notre Dame running back during a game in 2013. (Matt Cashore/USA Today Sports)

7. Ed Pine (Reno): A Reno High Hall of Famer, Pine was an All-American at Utah (he’s also in there Hall of Fame) before playing in the 1961 East-West Shrine Game. He played four seasons in the NFL with the 49ers and Steelers, appearing in 40 games at linebacker, with 27 starts. He was one of Reno’s first stars.

8. Don Manoukian (Reno): An often-forgotten local player, Manoukian was a high school All-American at Reno, where he led the Huskies to four straight state titles. He starred at Stanford as an offensive lineman before playing with the Oakland Raiders, where he was second-team All-AFL as a rookie.

9. Glenn Carano (Wooster): The only local to win a Super Bowl, Carano was on the 1977 title-winning Cowboys. He spent seven seasons in the NFL after a Hall of Fame career at UNLV, where he threw for 5,095 yards and 37 scores. He’s one of two local quarterbacks to reach the NFL (Jeff Rowe’s the other).

10. Shawn Knight (Reed): The highest local draft pick in the NFL draft, Knight was the 11th pick of the 1987 draft after a standout career at BYU, which include a national title in 1984 and third-team All-American honor in 1986, when he had 16 sacks. The defensive tackle played three NFL seasons.